Music

Afroman took a nasty spill during his concert in New Hampshire Friday night ... but, thankfully, he wasn't hurt -- and even finished his performance with a big smile.

The rapper was singing his hit, "Because I Got High," near the end of his one hour set at Wally's in Hampton Beach when the mishap -- and Afroman -- went down.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ ... Afroman's moving about the stage with a drink in hand as the packed crowd grooves to his music. Suddenly, he tumbles off the stage, plummeting into a pit, as his drink flies high in the air.

At first, the audience is horrified as Afroman's handlers dash out to see if he's ok and help him back on stage. Turns out Afroman was better than OK ... he shared a big fat grin with his fans and went right back into the song.

Earlier in the show, the DJ had some technical problems with his laptop ... but Afroman played through those issues, dazzling everyone with his guitar licks.

Shaggy is heading to the Grammys again thanks to his "Com Fly Wid Mi" album, but musical accolades aren't the only thing fueling his drive ... he's very much about giving back, these days.

We caught the reggae icon at LAX, and this time he couldn't deny it -- it absolutely was him recently speaking to inmates at Michigan's Genesee County Jail.

Shaggy was the guest speaker for the graduation of IGNITE ... which stands for Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.

Through the program, inmates are given tools to successfully reenter society -- as Shaggy explained to us, ex-cons typically have a hard time adjusting to life on the outside.

Shaggy says he works with a company called Colour Bank that offers inmates financial literacy courses -- and credit cards to use with the education they've earned!!!

With over 4 decades in showbiz and a new Best Reggae Album nom, Shaggy wants to leverage his success to help anyone in need going forward ... and he left us with some wisdom he learned from the late Notorious B.I.G.

Quoting Biggie's final interview, Shaggy reacted to the string of violence in the music community as of late, saying artists should become responsible for the content they make once they hit it big ... especially because they're able to influence so many.

Post Malone is celebrating a new addition to his already impressive jewelry collection -- a blinding 23 carats worth of diamonds, and all that bling is just for the littlest finger of them all.

Guess his hand was feeling a little light, because sources close to Post tell TMZ ... he called up his pals at Angel City Jewelers to hook him up with a new piece for his pinky.

Angel City's owner, Isaac Bokhoor, came through with the goods while PM was making a recent tour stop in Las Vegas ... and unveiled the "Rockstar" sized ring ... which we're told set the singer back about half a million bucks!

For that kinda dough, ya better love it ... and Post clearly does. Check out his reaction right after getting it backstage -- you're looking at a 5-carat Emerald cut center stone, with another 5 carats of round diamonds on the side. There are 13 more 1-carat stones around the band.

Of course, the "White Iverson" is no stranger to getting blinged out by Isaac and co. -- remember, he was the master behind Post's $250k Dallas Cowboys chain.

He got it back in 2019, appropriately while he was in Dallas at AT&T Stadium. That one came with 3,000 stones, 9.7 carats of baguettes, 13.5 carats of sapphires and 8.7 carats of diamonds.

The World Cup is just a day away, and the biggest sporting event in the world is already mired in controversy -- much stemming from alleged human rights issues -- causing some to boycott the soccer tourney ... something Akon says makes no sense.

TMZ Sports ran into the rap star, a big soccer fan, at LAX on Wednesday -- just four days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar -- and we asked him about fans who say they won't watch because of the controversy surrounding the host country.

"I don't understand the purpose of the boycott, me personally, I think everywhere you go in the world there's different cultures, different way of living, different life standards," Akon explained.

The 5x Grammy nominee went on to say he believes many of his fellow Americans who are calling for a boycott don't actually understand why they're refusing to watch.

"I think when you look at a place like America, we have a tendency of taking certain things for granted, and we got a tendency of following suit of things we don't understand. Instead of taking a trip there to understand the culture, understand what's going on, you're just going to follow suit cause everybody else says there's humanitarian issues."

FYI, Dua Lipa recently quelled speculation she'd perform in Qatar, saying she wouldn't go to the country until they "fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup." Rod Stewart also said he was offered a million dollars to perform, but he refused.

Of course, Qatar, a relatively small peninsular country with a population of under 3 million, has been accused of discriminating against people in the LGBTQ community. There are also reports of migrant workers dying while working under unsafe conditions in an effort to finish the WC facilities in the months before the tourney. Officials have also interfered with the press. These are just a few of the troubling allegations made against Qatar.

But, Akon sees it differently than the boycotters ... it's not that he's saying he agrees with Qatar, he's saying he recognizes that their culture is different.

"I think a lot of that is a cultural issue, a cultural difference. You know when you look at a place like Africa, Middle East, a lot of places, LGBTQ is not really a culture they came up under," Akon says.

"It's not a matter of dislike. It's just a different culture. know what I'm saying? it's just a matter of people better understanding each other's culture, understanding the reasons and the whys."

Akon believes we'd be a lot better off talking to the Qatari people and finding common ground, rather than ignoring them.

"How about going to explain your view from your position? Help them better understand. Know what I mean? Life is about communication. I think the moment people start jumping to conclusions and just take a position before understanding, things are always gonna be complicated."

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are pressing pause on their relationship ... TMZ has confirmed.

Harry and Olivia are "taking a break" from dating after nearly 2 years together, according to People, citing Harry's busy touring schedule and Olivia's family obligations and work in Hollywood.

HS and OW were first linked back in January 2021, when they were photographed holding hands at a friend's wedding ... at the same time they were filming "Don't Worry Darling."

Harry's tour, which Olivia witnessed in person, is now going overseas ... and Olivia's reportedly hanging back in Los Angeles, working on projects and spending time with the children she shares with Jason Sudeikis.

As we've reported, Harry and Olivia's relationship was not lacking in drama ... Olivia and Jason's ex-nanny claimed Olivia gave up her dog within weeks of meeting Harry, allegedly so she could free up time to spend with the singer.

There was also a ton of rumored drama on the set of "Don't Worry Darling" as a result of Harry and Olivia's romance, with Olivia reportedly going missing often with Harry. She was directing the film and he was starring in it.

Mustard filed for divorce from his wife of less than 2 years back in May, but their relationship is still unraveling in the public eye.

Chanel Thierry took to IG to vent on Friday with claims her estranged producer hubby was being stingy with the spacious cars in their household … and left her with just a Lambo SUV to lug around their 3 kids.

She called the luxury whip a “ghetto birthday gift” and was likely referring to the 2021 Lamborghini Urus Mustard got for her birthday back when they were on happier terms.

Despite the rant, Chanel accused Mustard of being the bitter one who's refusing to pay child support and threatening to ruin her behind the scenes. She also admitted she signed a prenup, a tidbit Mustard had included in the divorce petition he filed in court.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story … Mustard cited irreconcilable differences in filing for divorce and asked for joint custody of their children.

Maluma isn't exactly kicking off the World Cup on a high note ... a reporter put him on the spot over his decision to perform -- as other artists boycott -- so, he stormed out of the interview.

The "Hawái" singer sat down for an interview Friday, two days before the start of the FIFA World Cup, with Israel's state-owned Kan TV and it quickly got heated when the interviewer asked Maluma about his thoughts on Qatar's human rights violations.

As we reported, Dua Lipa and Shakira both turned down gigs at the World Cup ... citing the country's human rights record.

Maluma teamed up with Nicki Minaj and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares for the official FIFA Fan Festival anthem ... and he was asked if he had a problem with Qatar's reputation.

Maluma dodged the first question with skill, saying he's performing because he enjoys life, music and soccer -- but when pressed for more than that, Maluma stood up, asked someone off camera if he needed to answer at all, then simply stormed off and called the reporter "rude."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Maluma's performing at the World Cup strictly because, as he said, he loves the sport. We're told he was a soccer player growing up in Colombia and left the sport to become an artist, but it's been always been a dream of his to perform at a World Cup.

What's odd about Maluma's heated interview is ... the network reporter giving him a hard time for, in his words, "whitewashing" Qatar, is actually there in Qatar covering the World Cup and in doing so, publicizing it.

Jhené Aiko and Big Sean are now the proud parents of a newborn baby boy.

Jhené introduced the new bundle, who the couple has named Noah Hasani, on Instagram, saying, "After 24 hours of labor, a total lunar eclipse, and while it was pouring rain… he came, my baby Yoda, my Sani."

The "Twenty88" couple had a gender reveal during a joint performance in Los Angeles on October 13 ... marking six wonderful years together.

Last time we spoke to Sean Don ... he was pondering potential baby names.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story of the pregnancy after the pair was spotted on an outing in Beverly Hills on July 2 -- Jhené was glowing and looking visibly pregnant.

Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa officially announced their free Ghana concert is happening in January 2023, but DJ Akademiks recently claimed the event signals the end of their relevance.

The Chicago rappers have been plotting and planning the free show all year and finalized the details Friday. The concert also includes Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Jeremih and 2023 Best New Artist Grammy nominee Tobe Nwigwe.

During a recent Twitch broadcast, Ak royally scoffed at the Ghana news ... noting how Chance dominated with his Coloring Book Tour a few years ago but is now a cold artist selling wolf tickets overseas. He said it, not us.

Vic Mensa previously clashed with Ak during his former Complex TV series "Everyday Struggle" and the popular blogger had smoke for him as well ... claiming Vic's been cursed ever since they went head up on air!!!

Ak made it clear his rants are rooted in comedy, and was all laughs as he pulled up Drake's 2019 song "Draft Day" ... where Drizzy sniped Chance's entire career with just a few bars. 🙈

The Justice Department could get to the bottom of the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco ... because the feds are reportedly already investigating the parent company of Ticketmaster for possible antitrust violations.

The department is taking a close look at Live Nation Entertainment, according to the New York Times ... trying to see if the company's abusing its massive market power to screw millions of music fans over.

While the Swift madness certainly adds to the drama, it seems like the investigation has already been going on for months -- with NYT's sources saying the department's antitrust division has already been contacting venues in the industry about Live Nation's past practices and the overall dynamics of the ticket industry.

As you know, all hell broke loose as fans flocked to Ticketmaster to try and get their hands on a ticket to "The Eras Tour" this week during the presale.

The company even canceled the public sale on Friday, which is ordinarily how it sells any remaining tickets after presales -- and now the resale market is seeing sky-high prices.

Nicki Minaj has no time for any 2022 World Cup controversies ... the Barbz rapper has been enlisted for "Tukoh Taka" the official FIFA Fan Festival anthem!!!

The song is a collaboration between Nicki, Colombian singer Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares and delivers lyrics in 3 different languages -- English, Spanish and Arabic to cater to the global soccer audience.

"Tukoh Taka" translates to "click clack" in Yankee talk and the 3 megastars all display their presence in the video.

Edgar Esteves and Juan Felipe Zuleta direct the high-octane visual ... which splices between cut scenes of fútbol highlights, Nicki gyrating on a school bus and Maluma and Myriam Fares performing in a green-screened desert.

World Cup action kicks off starting Sunday from Qatar ... but this year's event has many pundits raising eyebrows as festivities are underway.

Unlike Nicki, artists such as Dua Lipa and Shakira have refused to participate in Cup performances ... citing various alleged human rights infractions in the country.

FIFA also announced it's banning all alcohol sales in World Cup stadiums ahead of the opening games ... leaving many fans pissed.

NBA YoungBoy is targeting his former artist NoCap over a money dispute, and neither one is showing signs of backing down.

YoungBoy recently resurfaced on Instagram ... to throw subliminals at Kodak Black and, apparently, to very openly shade NoCap.

In an IG story, Youngboy accuses him of throwing undercover disses behind closed doors, and said they no longer collaborate because the respect is gone!!! Well, that's the cleaned-up version ... but you get the idea.

NBA also claims NoCap owes him money ... which was further explained through NoCap's fiery response.

According to him, NBA tried to charge him for their last collaboration, "Flags to the Sky," which appeared on the Alabama rapper's "Mr. Crawford" album.

"Mr. Crawford" was released through Atlantic Records and NBA's Never Broke Again imprint ... and NoCap can't believe his own label boss would try to tax his pockets.

NoCap alluded to the Kodak cheap shots while claiming he never badmouthed NBA, but also says he's never been supported in his 3 years signed to the label.

DDG is living his best life these days ... and wants his good friend Blueface to do the same thing in light of his recent legal troubles.

We got DDG out in Bev Hills Thursday, and he told us there's only a handful of rappers he considers a "real friend" ... and Blueface is one of 'em.

The 2 hit platinum gold with their "Moonwalking in Calabasas" collab ... and were working on a joint album before drama got in the way.

DDG says he wants Blueface to emerge victorious in his still-developing attempted murder case ... and he also sent positive vibes to Blueface's GF Chrisean Rock.

DDG and his GF, 'Little Mermaid' star Halle Bailey, double-dated with Blueface and Chrisean in the past, and says he's looking forward to better times once again.

TMZ broke the story ... Blueface allegedly shot at a man in a pickup truck outside a Las Vegas strip club, where they'd had an altercation.

Undercover cops arrested him this week for attempted murder.

On a lighter note, sorta, DDG introduced us to rising social media star Woo Wop ... the kid famous (or maybe infamous) for those "I Wanna Kill My Mom" viral videos blowing up TikTok!!!

Woo Wop -- who's DDG's nephew -- gave us a demo of his skills, but he doesn't seem the least bit impressed with his own fame.

Taylor Swift is sorry for her fans who feel they were screwed by Ticketmaster in trying to score tickets for her tour ... blasting the company for failing to deliver on its promise for a smooth rollout.

The singer just broke her silence on the concert ticket disaster, with a lengthy statement on her Instagram Story where she's royally pissed at Ticketmaster ... echoing the same feelings from her legions of fans.

Taylor says she's extremely protective of her fans and adds, "It's really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse."

TS also says, "There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward."

She's pretty pissed at Ticketmaster, explaining ... "I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could. It's truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them."

As we reported, there were tons of issues and delays with the Ticketmaster presale, and the ticket giant even canceled the public sale, and now the resale market is seeing sky-high price tags.

Taylor ends with a message to the fans who didn't get lucky enough to score tickets ... saying, "My hope is to provide more opportunities for us to all get together and sing these songs. Thank you for wanting to be there. You have no idea how much that means."

Kanye West may have gotten the boot from Adidas, but he's clearly not done with the company ... still rockin' the brand as if nothing happened.

Ye was spotted Thursday night, leaving the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills with a glass of bubbly. He was with super right-winger Milo Yiannopoulos and a woman. Ye was decked out in his Balenciaga x Adidas collection -- a black sweatshirt and white crossover bag, all emblazoned with the Adidas logo.

Unclear how Adidas feels about Kanye's clothing choices after it cut ties with Ye in the wake of his antiemetic rants.

The company said they would continue to sell Ye-inspired shoes, but without a trace of the Yeezy name.

Blueface's allegedly opening fire on a vehicle -- and subsequently getting arrested for attempted murder -- was the end result of a joke falling flat and sparking a strip club fight.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Blueface and his crew were at Euphoric Gentlemen's Club in Vegas on October 8 ... and the alleged victim supposedly made a joke about the rapper talking with "some females in a cheap vehicle."

Cops say the joke set off members of Blueface's crew, who allegedly hit the man "multiple times."

The docs say the man then attempted to leave in his truck, and told cops Blueface's crew might have thought he was "going for a gun" ... leading to Blueface allegedly firing shots at the man's truck as he fled.

Cops say there were multiple bullet marks on the truck, and its owner suffered what appeared to be a "bullet graze wound" on his left hand.

As we reported, video obtained by TMZ showed the truck suddenly pulling up to the rapper and his crew in the club's parking lot -- and it appears to show Blueface pulling out a weapon and firing it in the direction of the truck.